Curing-house



R" 8. VAUGHAN AND R; M. LOVE- CURING HOUSE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2. 1920.

Patented Sept. 28, 1920.

2 $HEETSSHEET I R. B. VAUGHAN AND R. M. LOVE.

CURING HOUSE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2, I920.

2 SHEElS-SHEEIZ Patented'Sept. 28, 1920.

attorney UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT B. VAUGHAN AND RALPH M. LOVE, OF DALLAS, TEXAS.

CURING-HOUSE.

Application filed February 2, 1920.

certain new and useful Improvements in Curing-Houses, of which the following, is a specification. V

This invention has relation to curing houses and particularly to the roof and ventilating structure of the same. 7

It'has been customary to build houses for the curing of vegetables such as sweet potatoes with a gable roof and a ceiling, whereby a loft or chamber is formed between the ceiling and the roof. Openings with dampers have been placed in the ceiling and ventilating means in the roof for exhausting the air from the chamber. In some instances the means for exhausting the air has been mechanical such as an exhaust fan; while in other houses louvers have been used. lVe have found that the ceiling and dampers therein are not essential to the'successful curing of vegetables; also that an exhaust fan is not necessary and a pent house on the roof with louvers in itssides gives sufficient ventilation and excellent results.

The, purpose of this invention is to control the passage of air through the louvers so that theventilation or exhaust of the air from the house may be modulated as the weather conditions may require; and further to eifectively'excludecold air and drafts from entering through the roof into the curing house when necessary.

" In carrying out the inventiona pent house i is provided with louvers and means is provided in juxtaposition to the louvers for controlling the passage of air therethrough. Means is also provided for controlling the passage of air between the pent house and the curing house proper. A secondary feature resides in th'ecombination of a gable roof and the pent house with its ventilating controlling means and the storage bins of the curing house; whereby the pent house is located so' as to properly ventilate and the gable roof acts asa hood for the bins to Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 28, 1920.

Serial No. 355,611.

facilitate the passage of air from the bins to the pent house. owever, it is to be understood that it is not absolutely necessary to use the pent house with a gable roof as it may be used with other styles of roofs. However, by arranging the pent house along the rldge of a gable roof and disposing the ridge of the roof over the aisle between two rows of storage bins, very good results are had as the air is drawn from the bins on each side and exhausted over the aisle, thereby giving a very effective and even circulation.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which an example of the invention is shown, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a view showing a portion of one end of a curing house in elevation, and illustrating portions as broken away to show a roof and ventilating means constructed in accordance with this invention,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same with portions illustrated as broken away,

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional detail of the pent house and air controlling means,

Fig. .4 is a side elevation of the same with portions in section,

Fig. 5 is a detail of the latch used on the louver doors, and

Fig. 6 is a detail showing one of the cleats for fastening the controlling ropes.

In the drawings the numeral 10 designates the front wall, 11 the side walls and 12 the rear wall of a curing house, which may be constructed in any approved manner. I have shown the building with a roof having a plurality of gables 13, but it is to be understood that the roof may be formed with a single gable and each gable and the @011 struction associated therewith forms a unit 1 the ridge of the gable roof 13. On each side of this aisle is a 'row of storage bins sepa rated by partitions 15, extending from front posts 16 which extend to the roof at each side of the aisle. The partitions terminate short of the roof so that a space is left above the bins.

A longitudinal pent house 17 extends longitudinally along the center of the roof over the aisle 14. This pent house has a suitable roof 18 with extended eaves 19. The sides of the house 17 are formed by upright studs 20 spaced apart'and between which louvers 21 are mounted in the usual manner ln this way louver panels are formed along each side of the pent house The extended eaves 19tend to prevent'rain and the like from blowing through the louvers, and also tend to protect said louversfrom the direct rays of ,the' sun. Plates 22 are disposed under thelouvers andface the ends of the closethe louvers. At the center of the lower edge of each door a latch 27 is fastened so as to engage a keeper 28 mounted on the upper edge of a strip 29 fastened to the adjacent plate 22.- A-rope 31 extends from the bolt 30 of the latch 27 to a pulley 32 mounted at the center of the ceiling of the pent house and then'downward through the ridge plate 24 to a cleat 33 fastened on one of the posts 16. It will be seen that the initial pull on the rope 31 will withdraw the latch 27 (Fig. 5) from .its keeper 28 and a continued pull on said rope will swing the door inward. When the door is released it will swing downward and the latch will' antomatically ride into thekeeper and fasten the "door.

- Dampers 34 are fastened by hinges 35"to each side of the-lower edge of the ridge plate 24, and-when swung upward contact with the bottom of the plates 22', thereby "shutting ofl" the-pent house from the curing house. 'Each damper has an eye 36 on its .lupper'side' nearits outer-edge and a rope 37 fattached to the eye passes over a pulley 38 mounted in theplate 22. This rope may be fastenedto the cleat 33 which is below or -it may be'otherwise' secured. I

' When cold:wind is blowing toward one side of the penthouse the doors 25 on that side may be closed so as to exclude thefwind; while the door' 25 on the: opposite side may be "opened by m-anipulating' the: ropes 31*and the said idoors-fa're .heldat; the desired adjustment.

When it is not necessary to exclude the wind style of. roof.

both doors may be opened. The dampers 34 are employed to control the circulationof air. By lowering a damper the circulation at this point is increased and by raising the damper the circulation is proportionally decreased. It will be seen that the gable roof with the dampers at the center forms a hood overthe bins so that the air after passing upward through the bins is'drawn toward the center of the roof over the aisle and out past the dampers as is likewise the air from the aisle.

It ispointed out that by meansof the doors and dampers the ventilation of the building and the circulation of air through the storage bins may be controlled in a .very efficient 'manner. 'An advantage of this structure is that the'doorsand dampers are clearly within the vision of the operator. and the manner of adjusting the same is so positive that the operator is able to control the same in .a most. satisfactory ...manner. .We wish to make it clear that while the gable style of roof is highly desirable itis not-essential to the successful operation ofthe dampers, louvers and doors and therefore the, pent house,could be, used on another 7 What we claim, is:....

1. The combination with a curing house for sweet potatoes and the like having a gable roof,'of a pent house arranged at the apex of the gable roof' and extending. above the same, dampers pivoted at the bottom of the pent house and adapted when closed to cover said bottom and prevent air in the curing hOHSGfI'OIIlGIItBIlIlg thepent house, spaced louvers arrangedm the oppos1te sides of the pent house,"and doors arranged upon the inner sides of said louvers and pivoted near their'upper ends and adapted toswin to opened and closed positions. A

2. The combination with acuring' house for sweet potatoes and the like, having a roof, of a pent house secured. to the roof and extending above the same, damper means arranged at the bottom of the pent .house and adapted when closed to completely cover'such'bottom andexclude the air in the curing 'house from entering the pent house, spaced louvers arranged inthe 'opposite sides of the pent house, and doors pivoted at their upper ends within the pent house and adapted to be swung to opened and closed positions. 7

' 3. The combination with a curing house for sweet potatoes and the like, having a roof,'of a penthouse arranged upon the roof and extending above the same, said pent house having openings in itssides, a lon itudinal beam arranged at-the bottom of the .pent house and" forming two openings at such bottom, vertically swinging dampers arranged; uponioppositesi des of the longitudinal beam and hinged thereto and adapted to be moved to opened and closed positions, said dampers When closed serving to prevent air in the curing house passing into the lower end of the pent house, doors arranged Within the pent house and adjacent the sides thereof to cover the same, said doors being hinged at their upper ends and adapted to have their lower ends swung inwardly whereby the doors are angularly arranged and serve as guide means to direct 10 the air to the sides of the penthouse, and means to move the dampers and doors.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures.

ROBERT B. VAUGHAN. RALPH M. LOVE. 

